The story
Villa Communico is a wood-fired gastronomic auberge at 486-5 Zoshicho, Nara, and it holds one Michelin star in the 2026 guide. It sits at the foot of Mt. Wakakusa, on the road that links Todai-ji and Kasuga Taisha.
Daiki Horita was born in Nara in 1982. He went to Italy in 2005 and trained mainly in Bologna, then cooked in Kyoto and studied French technique before becoming chef at Avalots in 2015. In 2018 he opened communico as owner-chef, and in summer 2024 he launched this larger project. Gault&Millau scores the kitchen 15.5 for 2026.
The kitchen works with open wood fire, and the restaurant describes the flame as something that shifts daily with temperature, humidity and the moment of cooking. No ingredient meets the same fire twice. The idea comes from the Wakakusa mountain burning and the rites of Kasuga Taisha, and the menu aims at a new kind of Nara regional cooking.
Five guest rooms follow the elements: fire, water, earth, wind and wood. The windows borrow the green of Nara Park, and a lounge looks onto Wakakusa through the seasons. Much of the building, furniture and tableware comes from makers based in Nara, including the ceramics by Otani Seitojo. Five free parking spaces are available.
Recognition
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